This program aims to organize the horizon-type benchmark learning workshop and the practical empowerment workshop of environmental education facilities and venues, enhancing the profession and practical skills of environmental education personnel, updating the handbook of environmental education facilities and venues, planning the green travel routes on the topic of environmental education facilities and venues lessons and showing the outcome in the handbook and on the online sharing platform. This program assists environmental education facilities and venues in conducting the integrated marketing in order to enhance the visibility of environmental education facilities and venues lessons and increase the opportunity of public engagement since different groups can utilize the lessons as references.
1. Organizing the horizon-type benchmark learning workshop of environmental education facilities and venues.
(1) Agenda, partners, venue, transportation information, purchase, maintenance, human resources and the related preparation had been arranged in the period February- April 2017. The environmental education regional centers, environmental education facilities and venues and the related competent authorities had been invited in May. The workshop was held at National Training Institute for Farmers’ Organization (Mellow Fields Hotel) in Taipei
City from June 6 to 7, 2017. The environmental education credits were registered and the follow-up tasks like feedback compilation were conducted from June to August.
(2) In 2017 horizon-type benchmark learning workshop of environmental education facilities and venues, there were 184 participants, from 90 facilities and venues, 7 institutes, 8 local environmental protection bureaus and 7 public sectors, including 8 partners from environmental education regional centers, 113 from facilities and venues, 5 benchmark field case lecturers, 26 from Environmental Protection Administration, the environmental protection bureau of city or county government and the competent authorities, 10 from Environmental Professionals Training Institute and Chinese Society for Environmental Education and 18 from the implementer, Friendly Seed Limited Liability Company.
(3) Based on the core spirit of Earth Day 2017, the different lecture methods, such as presentation, group discussion of strategy, outdoor education , sharing and commentary of practical cases, were organized in accordance with different dimensions of benchmark learning including experience sharing of environmental education at home and abroad, introduction of assessment tool in environmental education, group discussion of field issue,
experience sharing of curriculum project and seminar of environmental education in local action.
(4) Most members fed back that the workshop is of wide dimension, various topics, abundant content, practical cases and diverse operation methods.
While lecture could broaden global horizon and bridge interdisciplinary thinking, the field issue provided an opportunity to discuss the challenge with partners from different facilities, both public and private sectors, and from the competent authorities; therefore, it encouraged members to think in others’ aspect and develops creative concepts. In addition, the lecturers who shared practical benchmark cases have extensive experience and
communicate empathetically. Moreover, group communication in communication software offered deeper discussion and helped build real partnership. They also recommended that the outdoor education could be carried out by lesson preparation, observation and briefing, and the lecture hours could be extended and more related empowerment workshops could
be held.
2. Organizing the practical empowerment workshop of environmental education facilities and venues.
(1) According to the outcome of the related research in ability needs for environmental education and the advice from related specialists, “the needs of profession empowerment for environmental education facilities and venues, and environmental education personnel questionnaire” was designed to survey the empowerment need. Four workshops were be
arranged in accordance with self-assessment, level of requirement and the empowerment lectures they want in order to enhance environmental education personnel’s practical skills.
(2) The sign-up for “Management Strategy in Local Common Good Workshop” had been completed from May 10 to 22, and it was held at National Training Institute for Farmers’Organization (Mellow Fields Hotel) on June 8. Among the 57 applicants, 31 were admitted and 2 on casual leave, hence 29 were present. The sign-up for “Policy Marketing and Media Communication
Workshop” had been completed from August 15 to 29, and it was held at Environmental Education Center in Miaoli County from September 1 to 2. Among the 40 applicants, 36 were admitted and 3 on casual leave, hence 31 were present. The sign-up for “Diverse Teaching Methods X Environmental Issue Workshop” had been completed from August 25 to September 25, and it was held at Southern Region Weather Center in Tainan City on September 28. Among the 47 applicants, 31 were admitted and 2 on casual leave, hence 29 were present. The sign-up for “Social Media Management X Citizen Scientist Workshop” had been completed from August 25 to October 10, and it was held at National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung City on
October 18. Among the 50 applicants, 32 were admitted and 2 on casual leave, hence 30 were present.
3.Updating and revising the handbook of environmental education facilities and venues.
(1)The 2017 revised edition of the handbook of environmental education facilities and venues was updated from the 2016 edition of the handbook which contains the contents of 139 facilities and venues. In addition, 14 fields certified from December 1, 2016 to November 30, 2017 were added, including revised or latest graphical and literal introduction of fields. The contents of the handbook include facilities information, field characteristic,
the project of certification lecture, contact information, column stories, guiding maps and featured pictures.
(2)The chapter of “the learning map of environmental education facilities and venues” was added, creating an environmental education learning map according to potential users, and providing references for services like outdoor education and professional training according to different age groups and the lectures, from the handbook of facilities and venues in each
city or county, they want to promote.
(3)The chapter of “the green travel routes of environmental education facilities and venues” was added, choosing green travel as the purpose, certified lectures of facilities and venues as the main body, and learning while playing as the concept. The chapter combined the elements such as “local food,” ”friendly accommodation,” “green transportation,” and” natural and cultural local landscape,” choosing the excellent facilities and venues which
had been awarded the National Environmental Education Award and organizing 25 suggested green travel routes in different areas in order to provide references for services like family travel, domestic travel and selfempowerment activities.
4.Creating a sharing platform for green travel routes of environmental education facilities and venues
(1) In the form of story map, the sharing platform linked up all the local stories on the green travel routes, visualized the information, showed featured pictures and description of each tourist attraction and provided a map marking the geographic location of each environmental education facility or venue in Taiwan. The sharing platform let users plan their own travel patterns and details.
(2)Asking 25 facilities and venues for their willingness to practice the collaborative marketing and ask them to provide the information of each green travel element for building a database. The feature database of green travel routes consisted of green travel elements as point features, routes of each topic as line features, and counties and countries as polygon features.
(3) Suggesting that the facilities and venues would be informed to confirm their marketing outcomes and would be encouraged to put their website addresses on environmental education page and add hyperlinks on “the platform of the Environmental Education Information System” and “the fan page of environmental education facilities and venues.” Suggest them to keep
packaging their green travel routes according to lecture topics, to utilize other marketing activities in order to increase views on sharing platform and to combine with other mobile applications, such as LINE, to broadcast travel information and the information of marketing activities.
